Gensu Dean Explains The Evolution Of Producers

Although Gensu Dean says that the role of the producer in Rap hasn’t evolved much since the Golden Era, he does notice at least one noteworthy difference.

“Today a lot of producers are self contained in the since that they produce, record, mix and master all in-house,” Gensu Dean says in an exclusive interview with HipHopDX. "So essentially they've absorbed the role of a mixing and mastering engineer. With the advancement of technology, i.e. software music programs, this was made possible.”

Gensu Dean, who last month released the Dice Game: Shaken EP with Guilty Simpson, remixed the work Apollo Brown originally contributed to Dice Game, the 2012 album from Brown and Guilty Simpson. The Dallas-based Gensu Dean says that he approaches remixing with a specific mindset.

"With remixing my approach is always to create an entirely different mood and feel, but without compromising the integrity of the original version,” says Gensu Dean, who has worked with Large Professor and Planet Asia, among others. "I seek to use different textures and at times, even rewrite the hooks and add additional verses or features.”

As for listening to the work of other producers, the Texas beatsmith says he has a specific thing he seeks.

"I first listen for the feel of the music,” the Mello Music Group producer says. "The feel and vibe of the record is important to me. I also check for the textures. For example, what did they sample? How did they use it? Whats the feel of the drums?"